4.  The applicants were born in 1930 and 1922, respectively, and have been living in Oslo, Norway. The second applicant deceased on 30 May 2006. The first applicant is living in Monaco.
5.  This is one of several applications brought by the applicants under the Convention in relation to the same case complex, the factual background of which is summarised in Amelia and Einar Riis against Norway (dec.)(no. 23106/02, struck out on 8 July 2004).
6.  On 29 June 1990 the second applicant, on the first applicant's behalf, instituted proceedings (case no. 90-2020 A/01) against the State seeking 8,000,000 United States Dollars (USD) in compensation of pecuniary damage allegedly caused by the Ministry of Finance by having blocked the bankruptcy against the Reksten companies when these had announced their insolvency in April 1975.
7.  The above suit was lodged on 29 June 1990, after a first action lodged on 7 March 1989 had been dismissed (avvist) by the Oslo City Court on 10 November 1989 and the Eidsivating High Court had upheld the dismissal on 20 February 1990.
8.  On 17 March 1992 the City Court informed the parties that an oral hearing was scheduled for 17 and 18 November 1992, which hearing took place after the City Court had refused a request by the second applicant to postpone it. At that hearing, which was devoted to an issue of statutory limitation, he abandoned his intention to intervene in the case.
9.  On 26 November 1992 the City Court advised the parties that there was insufficient basis for adjudicating the case. On 1 February 1993 the City Court proposed to the parties to adjourn the proceedings pending the outcome of a request for the reopening of other civil proceedings against a bank. Their request was refused by a final decision of 23 April 1993.
10.  On 6 December 1993 the communications resumed between the first applicant's lawyer, Mr T. Engelschiøn, and the City Court. After repeated requests for a hearing date, the City Court on 16 March 1995 scheduled a hearing for 15 April 1996.
11.  After a number of communications between the parties and the City Court in December 1995, on 10 January 1996 Mr Engelschiøn asked the City Court to adjourn the case pending the final outcome of separate compensation proceedings brought by the first applicant against Falkefjell Ltd. and Mr Kristoffer Olsen, in which the City Court had found for the latter and the first applicant had appealed (for details of the latter proceedings, see A. and E. Riis v. Norway, no. 9042/04, §§ 11-36, 31 May 2007).
On 7 March 1996 the City Court informed the parties that the proceedings in the present case were adjourned for one year (Article 105 of the Code of Civil Procedure).
12.  On 16 January 2001 the City Court invited the parties to give their views on a question of dismissal of the case, no communications having taken place since 7 March 1996. It referred to Article 110 of the Code of Civil Procedure, according to which a case which had been adjourned was to be discontinued unless the resumption of the proceedings had been demanded by one of the parties within a period of two years.
13.  In response the first applicant stated in a letter of 28 February 2001 that, unless adjournment be granted until a final decision in the other case (see paragraph 11 above), she would demand resumption of those in the present case. After hearing the views of the Attorney General (Civil Matters), the City Court decided to stay the proceedings until 10 November 2002. On 29 October 2002 the first applicant's lawyer requested resumption of the proceedings.
14.  On 23 January 2003 the City Court asked the parties whether the case was ready to be set down for main hearing, which question was answered in the negative by Mr Berge, on behalf of Mr O.P. Stavland, Advocate, acting for the first applicant. It was explained that there was a need for the first applicant to inspect various official archives.
15.  On 23 June 2003 the Attorney General (Civil Matters) informed the City Court about a friendly settlement between the first applicant and the State in another case, which had been concluded on 5 June 2003 (for details see Amelia and Einar Riis against Norway (dec.) no. 23106/02, struck out on 8 July 2004).
16.  Between 29 January 2004 and 26 April 2005 there were a few exchanges between the City Court and the parties. The exchanges concerned mainly the first applicant's legal representatives (Mr Stavland's withdrawal and Mr Berge's appointment), and a writ by the Attorney General (Civil Matters) stating that comments on the legal implications of the friendly settlement of 5 June 2003 for the present case would be submitted after the Ministry of Finance had considered the matter after the summer.
17.  On 17 November 2005 the City Court scheduled the main hearing for 16 January 2006, despite a statement by Mr Berge that the case was not yet ready.
18.  On 23 November 2005 Mr Berge requested on the behalf of the first applicant an opportunity to inspect various documents, which the City Court rejected on 2 January 2006.
19.  The first applicant and her lawyer, Mr Berge, did not appear before the City Court either at a preparatory meeting held on 25 November 2005 or at the main hearing held on 16 January 2006. On 1 February 2006, after Mr Berge had been given an opportunity to comment in writing, the City Court upheld a request by the Attorney General (Civil Matters) to dismiss the case (Article 340 of the Cove of Civil Procedure).
20.  The first applicant appealed against the dismissal of her case by the City Court but on 26 September 2006 the Borgarting High Court upheld the City Court's decision.